[quote=laguna]All pads and melodic elements, apart from the bass, were generated from a Behringer RD8 cowbell. [/quote] :D :D :D

Great concept. Love the result.

Great concept. Love the result.

great sound design, amazing work with creating the melodic elements from the cowbell, they sound really good! The drums have some sort of a gritty texture to it, very interesting.

great sound design, amazing work with creating the melodic elements from the cowbell, they sound really good! The drums have some sort of a gritty texture to it, very interesting.

Interesting to limit yourself sometimes, in an almost obsolete device? Aphex Twin does that too! Rad:)

Interesting to limit yourself sometimes, in an almost obsolete device? Aphex Twin does that too! Rad:)

Working with the MPC is slow, though the feeling of crafting something quietly, laying on the floor like when we were kids playing with a toy, half making beats and half watching some tv with the family... I DO love software and I'm sure quicker results could be achieved with a computer, though it was refreshing working like that. Does not sound any better, does not get any punchier, it's cumbersome sometimes... but it's fun, specially for starting an idea.

Thanks a lot for listening, Sir

Vielen danke, mein Freund. I'd love to expand it a little bit further. Tweaking and adding details could be quite cumbersome compared to working in a DAW.

Thanks again for listening, and the continuous support

Thank you, Matteo. Yeah, the unit can resample just right, though it makes some "funny" stuff and seems to degrade the signal. I've disasembled the unit some times for maintenance, and realized a couple of functions associated with the only "live" control were not functioning because the board was actually broken. The Q-Link slider, fancy name for its only knob, never work ever since I bought the unit second hand. I thought it was some kind of "me not getting the manual"... but it was really broken! So I fixed it and I won't ever be sure if the initial run of samples (kick, snare, hihats...) were affected.

I did some sample editing in Renoise, and it seems to me that the unit does not correct the DC bias, so the kicks are "off centered". The noise floor is relatively high and if the signal passes certain threshold the saturation is not linear.

And I don't mean all this in a cool "12 bit SP 1200 way"... it's just weird the amount of high end degradation when resampling, specially when the machine is supposed to be 16bit/44100 KHz.

Anyway, I've already got several "perfect samplers" all around me. The grittyness is interesting. Internal delay could be dubby if cranked up but is muddy as hell. I don't want to sound pretentious at all ranting about "the magic of hardware" (because I basically don't believe in such stuff) but I guess the underpowered processor combined with a cost reduced hardware AND a SUPERB sequencer could create great results.

The unit is sturdy on the outside though the internals are much lower quality than a late 80s Akai product. It has some bad press but it's simple enough to be understood and memorized while making a couple of long projects.
People will happily pay 2500 euros for an Akai MPC 60 and yet this one has a similar interface (all numbers, no graphics!) and workflow, plus some improvementes, while costing less than 200 in a good deal.

Thanks a lot, George!

Please read the previous answer if you're interested in details about the unit.

I completely agree with you, because sometimes, though the end result could be inferior to any computer mastering, the pattern based structure forces you to come with ideas in order to add some spice and interest.

Many people associate MPCs with drum machine, though they could be quite acceptable melodic sequencers. I'm used to tracker-style microedits, though there's ways to tweak your notes. Not everything is just bashing pads.

My main motivation, as a proud software guy, was to fight against that "Digitakt jam is super cool / Guy with MPC 500 is lame" vibe when watching hardware jams on Youtube... and I ended with a track  

Working with the MPC is slow, though the feeling of crafting something quietly, laying on the floor like when we were kids playing with a toy, half making beats and half watching some tv with the family... I DO love software and I'm sure quicker results could be achieved with a computer, though it was refreshing working like that. Does not sound any better, does not get any punchier, it's cumbersome sometimes... but it's fun, specially for starting an idea. [quote=ineff][quote=laguna]All pads and melodic elements, apart from the bass, were generated from a Behringer RD8 cowbell. [/quote] :D :D :D[/quote] Thanks a lot for listening, Sir :) [img]https://i.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExeGlrcXM4dW1scWtxdXc4d3JwYml5bnhmdmxyNmtndmh4ZDFodmw4aiZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/whOs1JywNpe6c/giphy.gif[/img] [quote=Q-Rosh]Great concept. Love the result.[/quote] Vielen danke, mein Freund. I'd love to expand it a little bit further. Tweaking and adding details could be quite cumbersome compared to working in a DAW. Thanks again for listening, and the continuous support [quote=Bleeoop]great sound design, amazing work with creating the melodic elements from the cowbell, they sound really good! The drums have some sort of a gritty texture to it, very interesting.[/quote] Thank you, Matteo. Yeah, the unit can resample just right, though it makes some "funny" stuff and seems to degrade the signal. I've disasembled the unit some times for maintenance, and realized a couple of functions associated with the only "live" control were not functioning because the board was actually broken. The Q-Link slider, fancy name for its only knob, never work ever since I bought the unit second hand. I thought it was some kind of "me not getting the manual"... but it was really broken! So I fixed it and I won't ever be sure if the initial run of samples (kick, snare, hihats...) were affected. I did some sample editing in Renoise, and it seems to me that the unit does not correct the DC bias, so the kicks are "off centered". The noise floor is relatively high and if the signal passes certain threshold the saturation is not linear. And I don't mean all this in a cool "12 bit SP 1200 way"... it's just weird the amount of high end degradation when resampling, specially when the machine is supposed to be 16bit/44100 KHz. Anyway, I've already got several "perfect samplers" all around me. The grittyness is interesting. Internal delay could be dubby if cranked up but is muddy as hell. I don't want to sound pretentious at all ranting about "the magic of hardware" (because I basically don't believe in such stuff) but I guess the underpowered processor combined with a cost reduced hardware AND a SUPERB sequencer could create great results. The unit is sturdy on the outside though the internals are much lower quality than a late 80s Akai product. It has some bad press but it's simple enough to be understood and memorized while making a couple of long projects. People will happily pay 2500 euros for an Akai MPC 60 and yet this one has a similar interface (all numbers, no graphics!) and workflow, plus some improvementes, while costing less than 200 in a good deal. [quote=george bowles]Interesting to limit yourself sometimes, in an almost obsolete device? Aphex Twin does that too! Rad:)[/quote] Thanks a lot, George! Please read the previous answer if you're interested in details about the unit. I completely agree with you, because sometimes, though the end result could be inferior to any computer mastering, the pattern based structure forces you to come with ideas in order to add some spice and interest. Many people associate MPCs with drum machine, though they could be quite acceptable melodic sequencers. I'm used to tracker-style microedits, though there's ways to tweak your notes. Not everything is just bashing pads. My main motivation, as a proud software guy, was to fight against that "Digitakt jam is super cool / Guy with MPC 500 is lame" vibe when watching hardware jams on Youtube... and I ended with a track :)

Very cool interesting stuff! One day I plan to buy some cheap used gear, inspired by this. Market inefficiencies! And creative restraints is pretty zen at least to me

[quote=laguna]Working with the MPC is slow, though the feeling of crafting something quietly, laying on the floor like when we were kids playing with a toy, half making beats and half watching some tv with the family... I DO love software and I'm sure quicker results could be achieved with a computer, though it was refreshing working like that. Does not sound any better, does not get any punchier, it's cumbersome sometimes... but it's fun, specially for starting an idea. [quote=ineff][quote=laguna]All pads and melodic elements, apart from the bass, were generated from a Behringer RD8 cowbell. [/quote] :D :D :D[/quote] Thanks a lot for listening, Sir :) [img]https://i.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExeGlrcXM4dW1scWtxdXc4d3JwYml5bnhmdmxyNmtndmh4ZDFodmw4aiZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/whOs1JywNpe6c/giphy.gif[/img] [quote=Q-Rosh]Great concept. Love the result.[/quote] Vielen danke, mein Freund. I'd love to expand it a little bit further. Tweaking and adding details could be quite cumbersome compared to working in a DAW. Thanks again for listening, and the continuous support [quote=Bleeoop]great sound design, amazing work with creating the melodic elements from the cowbell, they sound really good! The drums have some sort of a gritty texture to it, very interesting.[/quote] Thank you, Matteo. Yeah, the unit can resample just right, though it makes some "funny" stuff and seems to degrade the signal. I've disasembled the unit some times for maintenance, and realized a couple of functions associated with the only "live" control were not functioning because the board was actually broken. The Q-Link slider, fancy name for its only knob, never work ever since I bought the unit second hand. I thought it was some kind of "me not getting the manual"... but it was really broken! So I fixed it and I won't ever be sure if the initial run of samples (kick, snare, hihats...) were affected. I did some sample editing in Renoise, and it seems to me that the unit does not correct the DC bias, so the kicks are "off centered". The noise floor is relatively high and if the signal passes certain threshold the saturation is not linear. And I don't mean all this in a cool "12 bit SP 1200 way"... it's just weird the amount of high end degradation when resampling, specially when the machine is supposed to be 16bit/44100 KHz. Anyway, I've already got several "perfect samplers" all around me. The grittyness is interesting. Internal delay could be dubby if cranked up but is muddy as hell. I don't want to sound pretentious at all ranting about "the magic of hardware" (because I basically don't believe in such stuff) but I guess the underpowered processor combined with a cost reduced hardware AND a SUPERB sequencer could create great results. The unit is sturdy on the outside though the internals are much lower quality than a late 80s Akai product. It has some bad press but it's simple enough to be understood and memorized while making a couple of long projects. People will happily pay 2500 euros for an Akai MPC 60 and yet this one has a similar interface (all numbers, no graphics!) and workflow, plus some improvementes, while costing less than 200 in a good deal. [quote=george bowles]Interesting to limit yourself sometimes, in an almost obsolete device? Aphex Twin does that too! Rad:)[/quote] Thanks a lot, George! Please read the previous answer if you're interested in details about the unit. I completely agree with you, because sometimes, though the end result could be inferior to any computer mastering, the pattern based structure forces you to come with ideas in order to add some spice and interest. Many people associate MPCs with drum machine, though they could be quite acceptable melodic sequencers. I'm used to tracker-style microedits, though there's ways to tweak your notes. Not everything is just bashing pads. My main motivation, as a proud software guy, was to fight against that "Digitakt jam is super cool / Guy with MPC 500 is lame" vibe when watching hardware jams on Youtube... and I ended with a track :) [/quote] Very cool interesting stuff! One day I plan to buy some cheap used gear, inspired by this. Market inefficiencies! And creative restraints is pretty zen at least to me

I like how this came together, the idea of relaxing with the family on the floor while casually putting together some beats and enjoying time together.  There is something special about how these machines will alter the sound of the samples which certainly give them there own character.

I like how this came together, the idea of relaxing with the family on the floor while casually putting together some beats and enjoying time together. There is something special about how these machines will alter the sound of the samples which certainly give them there own character.